UPDATE: Against my best advice, Mr. Walker has re-signed with the Idaho Stampede.

Unfortunately for Antoine Walker, the Polish Basketball League does not recognize four-pointers. But Walker is nonetheless interested in making Poland the next step in his basketball journey, according to a report.

Considering the NBA’s lockout, the move makes sense. A maximum D-League contract only pays $25,000. For a player like Walker, the incentive for playing in the D-League is the ability to showcase your skills in front of NBA scouts. Since the NBA season does not currently exist, neither does the potential for being called up. Plus, it wasn’t like Walker — who is 35 years old, played last season at least 25 pounds overweight and still doesn’t know the true meaning of “intelligent shot selection” — was making NBA scouts salivate anyway.

Walker should head overseas, make as much money as he can while he still can, and maybe, just maybe, if he gets into better shape and shows a willingness to become a role player, hope for an NBA call-up.

The D-League is a lot of things. But one thing it’s not is the proper location for a 35-year old, overweight, former NBA All-Star with nearly a million dollars worth of debt.

Mostly due to the city’s history of racial inequality, partially due to cold and snowy winters, the Boston Celtics have never signed a truly significant free agent. Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Kevin McHale — name a Celtics superstar and he was acquired via trade or through the draft.

The most important free agent signing in franchise history was probably Don Nelson; before he became a zany, successful and entirely unpredictable coach, Nelson was a key figure, albeit a role player, on five Celtics championship teams. But even Nelson came to Boston with little fanfare and few other options — the year before joining the Celtics, Nellie averaged 2.4 points per game for the Los Angeles Lakers. And with the Celtics, he never averaged more than 15.4 points, 27.4 minutes, or 7.3 rebounds. The most important free agent acquisition in the history of the NBA’s winningest franchise never made a single All-Star game.

But Boston’s free agent luck might be changing. According to Stephen Jackson, players are beginning to look at Boston differently than ever before.

“When I first got in the league, I would never have thought about Boston. Ever,” Jackson told ESPN the Magazine’s Ric Bucher. “The way they embraced KG was a big part of changing that.”

The Celtics also have a coach, and a black one at that, known for treating his players well. The Boston players begged Doc Rivers to stay every time rumors flew saying he might take a leave of absence, according to Bucher.

“That’s a big piece of it,” one agent told Bucher. “They’d run through a wall for him.”

As the Celtics attempt to transition from the Big Three era to the “Rondo and whoever else” era, becoming major players in the free agent market has never been more important. The Celtics currently have only three players under contract for the 2012-12 season. That means Danny Ainge will have millions of dollars to play with in the summer of 2012, but convincing Dwight Howard or any other marquee free agent to sign in Boston will mean erasing five decades worth of free agent whiffs. And if Ainge does fail to upgrade the team through free agency, the Celtics could begin a long rebuilding process, one that could revive painful memories of Ricky Davis, Gerald Green and Sebastian Telfair. Either that, or Ainge could settle for second-tier free agents and the Celtics could become mired in what I will call “The Antoine Walker Zone,” where the Celtics make the playoffs every year but never have a chance to contend for a championship.

In his piece, Bucher discussed the possibility of a Jeff Green-Paul Pierce-Rajon Rondo core.

“A nucleus of Green, Rondo and Pierce ‘is definitely a playoff team, especially in the East,’ says an Eastern Conference executive who spoke on a condition of anonymity because the league has a $1 million gag order on its employees during the current lockout,” wrote Bucher.

But the playoffs are not supposed to be the end, not for the Boston Celtics, winners of 17 championships, but the means to the end. The Celtics are supposed to fight for championships, not resign themselves to mediocrity. The Antoine Walker era produced many memorable moments — banked three-pointers to win games, a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, shimmies and shakes galore– but the era that came after it, the Gerald Green era, was more beneficial to winning a title than anything Walker ever accomplished in Boston. With Walker, the Celtics were stuck in quick sand, not going anywhere fast, pretending to make moves that would result in a championship but never really inching any closer. But after gutting the team and rebuilding with young talent (err, if you can call it talent), the Celtics were able to trade assets, contracts and draft picks to acquire the Big Three and bring Boston its 17th title.

In the summer of 2012, when Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen become free agents, Danny Ainge might have a choice to make: sign second-tier free agents and maintain a semblance of competitive mediocrity, or gut the entire roster and attempt to rebuild through draft picks and trades.

Or maybe, if the Celtics get lucky, if Stephen Jackson’s sentiments are shared by the rest of the NBA, or at least by the marquee free agents of 2012, the Celtics could skip the rebuilding process and simply reload.

What say you, Dwight?

I care that Jeff Green traveled to the White House to meet with a crew of wounded veterans called the Wounded Warriors. It’s a kind gesture from Green and obviously a wonderful cause. Green should be commended for his work in the community, and especially because he offered his time to soldiers who risked their lives for our country, soldiers who now need wheelchairs to play basketball.

But when it comes to rooting for basketball players (programming note: I’m going to sound quite cold-hearted in three… two… one…), I root for their athletic prowess and on-court mentality, not the extent of their community service. Hell, sometimes I don’t even need a reason to root for one player or root against another one. Cheering for sports teams and players can become confusing.

Producing on the court or on the field is the best way to earn praise. That’s why Albert Haynesworth has a chance to become a Gillette fan favorite, even though the former Pro Bowl defensive lineman is, by all accounts, a king-sized dunce. Judging by my Facebook feed, Chad Ochocinco has already become a fan favorite, the oversized personality with a smile as quick as his first step, even though he comes to Foxboro with a reputation as a locker room distraction. Manny Ramirez was a king in Boston until his oddities began to outweigh his fierce bat, Rajon Rondo’s a king although the Celtics once nearly traded him for behavioral issues, and fans could always overlook Glen Davis’s quirkiness until his production started to dwindle.

Then there’s Kevin Garnett, who could commit five or six murders and still be on my A-list of players to root for. I would even root for Garnett if he possessed all the talent of Mikki Moore, because Garnett plays the game like a lion would — you know, if lions could play basketball. Hell, he plays the game like Nicky Santoro.

Santoro was the muscle man in Casino. Watching that movie last night for the first time (I fell asleep in the middle of it, so don’t spoil anything — yes, I feel a little bit like my father when I pass out during the middle of a movie, and no, that’s never a good thing), I was taken aback when Santoro stabbed someone to death (or close to it) with a pen (I think), all because the person had called Santoro’s friend Ace Rothstein an asshole. I can’t quite envision Garnett stabbing someone to death with a pen (he prefers the ball-tap method of violence), but when Rothstein began to describe Santoro, I kept thinking of Number Five.

“You beat Nicky with fists, he comes back with a bat,” said Rothstein. “You beat him with a knife, he comes back with a gun. And if you beat him with a gun, you better kill him, because he’ll keep coming back and back until one of you is dead.”

Delonte West lives by the Nicky Santoro rules, too, and I don’t say that to open a discussion about his gun charges. I meant to say that West plays basketball by the Nicky Santoro rules. Celtics fans immediately forgave the lefty for his crimes, for allegedly meeting Lebron James’s mother for entertainment purposes (how’s that for a euphemism?), and for missing three quarters of the season due to injury. We forgave Delonte for all his past digressions because we knew that when Dwyane Wade beat Delonte with his fists during the playoffs, Delonte would come back with a bat. The bat might not always connect, but if Delonte goes down, he goes down swinging (pun intended). He’s no J.D. Drew.

As you already knew, choosing players to root for can be a complicated process. I liked Scal because he was goofy and I disliked Andrew DeClerq for the same reason. I liked Stephon Marbury because he was interesting and outspoken, but Sam Cassell’s personality bothered me to no end. I disliked Nate Robinson for his “whenever and wherever” shot selection, but I still hold a soft spot in my heart for Antoine Walker. I loathed Tony Allen because he took too many chances and I was lukewarm on Marquis Daniels because he didn’t take enough.

Maybe I should like Jeff Green because he helps wounded soldiers, and I definitely admire what he did. But when it comes to rooting for sports figures, I prefer Nicky Santoro to Mother Teresa. Or sometimes, I just prefer Scal.

Antoine Walker pleaded guilty to felony bad check charges yesterday morning, two years after a criminal complaint alleged that Walker failed to pay back more than $75o,000 worth of debt owed to three casinos.

Under the plea agreement, Employee Number Eight will likely face no jail time. Let’s all Walker Wiggle to that. Nonetheless, Walker’s day in court yesterday was a not-so-fun reminder that there are no four-pointers in signing bad checks. The former NBA All-Star has been put on probation and will have a court order to pay his restitution to the casinos.

In the meantime, Walker will presumably continue his struggling basketball career, making one last attempt to make the NBA. I was fortunate enough (or unfortunate enough, if you prefer) to cover Walker’s D-League game in Springfield last season, and his skills are still easily evident. He’s still a guard in a power forward’s body, capable of running a pick-and-roll, zinging no-look passes right into a teammate’s shooting pocket, drilling a picture-perfect jump hook over a center’s outstretched arms, or running off long strings of made three-pointers.

But like always, he was short of perfect. He thrilled the crowd the day I saw him, made six trifectas, scored 27 points, and even unleashed the Walker Wiggle after a late (and clutch) three-pointer. But the extraneous 30 pounds hanging from his waist operated as a symbolic reminder of why Walker’s NBA career fell short of expectations. He always possessed the skills. He always loved basketball. He always showed a fierce competitive spirit. But there was always something holding him back, and even now, during the final, desperate act of his basketball career, that hasn’t changed.

If I could make a career in the D-League starting tomorrow, I’d consider myself the luckiest person in the world. Long bus rides? A meager pay check? Less-than-five-star hotels? Who cares. If I could play basketball for a living, no matter how much or little money I made doing it, my face would permanently look like Kendrick Perkins’ scowl — except the exact opposite. I’d be living a dream I had when I was little (a dream I admittedly gave up a long time ago).

But for Antoine Walker, a return to the D-League isn’t so exciting. Walker accomplished his own dreams a long time ago, and his dreams were far grander than mine. He earned more than a hundred million dollars. He made All-Star games. He won an NBA championship. And then he lost everything — his job, his money, and also (in the eyes of some people) a fair deal of his respect. As such, Walker’s trip to the D-League isn’t the culmination of his childhood dreams — it’s one last-ditch attempt to regain some of what he’s lost. (CSNNE)

“It’d mean the world for me right now to get back, because it’s what I love to do,” said Walker. “I think I still have a lot of basketball left to play. I think I can still be competitive. I think, if I get [with] the right team, I can still win championships. It’s just that I left the game not on my own merit . . .

“If a GM [says] to my face, ‘Antoine, you can’t play at this level [anymore],’ then it’s time to do something else. But until I’m told that, I’m going to continue to try to fight and get there. But I’m not going to chase it; if it’s not there, it’s not there. But I’m going to work and give myself every opportunity to get back.”

For now, Walker lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Boise, Idaho. His most well-known teammate is Luke Jackson, he of the 37 career NBA games and 28.5% career NBA field goal shooting. His career rewind is like if I got a job with ESPN.com and became famous (fat chance), then — 12 years later — ended up back in my parents’ basement, blogging and freelance writing for pennies.

As I said, at this stage of my life, playing in the D-League would be ideal. (Never mind that I couldn’t even earn playing time for my Division Three school, or that I’m a point guard with Desagana Diop’s perimeter skills.) But for Antoine Walker, it’s just another humbling step to his ultimate goal, reaching the NBA — an ultimate goal that, I must say, may never be realized.

The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

You mean he hasn't retired already?

Mike Wells, Indy Star – “Once he hangs up his sneakers for good, which could happen next summer, Boston Celtics forward Jermaine O’Neal wants to retire with the team that helped him become an All-Star. O’Neal, who is out with a knee injury, said he wants to retire as an Indiana Pacer. ‘Just because I’m not there anymore doesn’t mean all the memories are forgotten,’ O’Neal said. ‘If it wasn’t for the Pacers, the organization and the community, nobody would have probably known who I was. Anywhere in the world I go, they know me because of my Pacers days.’ … O’Neal, 32, said he’ll think about retiring next summer if the Celtics, who have the second-best record in the NBA, win the title this season.”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “Davis is going to bring quirkiness and a fun-loving personality to the table, but his work ethic is unquestioned. He said he took 5,000 shots a day on those sweltering days in Las Vegas, and Rivers nodded in approval. ‘Baby, he doesn’t have long arms, and if you remember his first two years, he struggles finishing and still does,’ Rivers said. ‘Today he caught Hibbert a couple of times under the basket and couldn’t get to the basket. We just told him to take 1,000 shots a day and your game will be from the elbows and the corners. We need you to be efficient offensively and you will be with your jump shot. And he has been.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “The compliment gets thrown in his direction fairly often and it’s almost always sincere, especially when delivered by those who have observed all the greats: Paul Pierce is the best scorer in Boston Celtics history. And that’s saying something considering the likes of John Havlicek and Larry Bird have worn the jersey. But Pierce wouldn’t mind someday being regarded as one of the most complete players in Celtics history. On Sunday against the Indiana Pacers, he gave the latest example of why he deserves to be in the conversation. … ‘He’s the chameleon,’ said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, a fitting description of a player who has spent his entire 13-year career in green, but found ways to adapt to those around him. ‘We would rather, honestly, have him in scoring mode all the time. But with this team, especially with the injuries, he’s been a phenomenal utility player for us.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “‘I’ve known that for seven years,’ the coach said of the Pierce luxury. ‘He’s a great guy to have on your team because he does so many things. I think people just look at him as a scorer, and he really . . . his IQ, he’s a very smart basketball player.’ Pierce just shrugged. ‘Like I’ve told you guys before, I just try to give the game what it needs,’ he said. ‘I just try to do the things that are necessary for this ballclub to win.’ OK, so what’s more difficult — producing a triple-double or making it sound like just another day at the office?”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “That level of maturity, maybe more than anything else, speaks to how Pierce’s game has evolved over the years from being a big-time scorer to an all-around player that can help the C’s in multiple ways. ‘Paul discovered a long time ago the kind of player he wants to be,’ said Pacers coach Jim O’Brien, who coached Pierce for three years in Boston. ‘He wanted to be one of the best in the world, and he is. Nothing he does surprises me.’ … ‘Great player’ was how O’Neal describe Pierce, whose nickname ‘the Truth’ was given to him by O’Neal. ‘One of the leaders on this team. Passes the ball when necessary, shoots the ball when necessary, plays defense when necessary. He looked good out there.’”

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “‘I want him to stay Nate and be aggressive,’ Rivers said. ‘That’s one of the reasons we’ve given the ball to Paul so he can stay aggressive and try to score.’ This is how it works. The Celtics start the game with Robinson handling the ball and running the offense. If the other team pressures him fullcourt, the Celtics give it to Pierce. If they try to pressure Pierce, it falls on Ray Allen to bring the ball up the court. The Celtics had six turnovers in the first quarter and 18 in the game, which was one of the few things that kept them from blowing out the Pacers, while shooting 54 percent. So, Rivers left it to Pierce to run the offense. ‘He helps Nate,’ Rivers said. ‘He does what Delonte [West] was doing in some ways. Nate’s a good basketball player. He’s been terrific for us. He’s not a pure point guard. There’s thing that he can see and there’s things that he can’t see and you try to keep him out of those positions.’”

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “Jermaine O’Neal is getting closer. Really. He went through practice on Saturday and if all goes well on Tuesday (the Celtics are off Monday), there’s a chance he’ll be able to play Wednesday. Erden is battling a groin injury and a shoulder that hurts him more than he has let on. Rivers didn’t think he would be able to play against the Pacers, but he gave them seven minutes. ‘Semih is not feeling well,’ Rivers said before the game. ‘He is going to play but I don’t know how much he’s going to play. At this point [Saturday] we thought he wasn’t playing and then today he said he was fine. So we’ll see.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Shaquille O’Neal returned to the lineup yesterday, but it doesn’t guarantee that he’ll play Wednesday against Philadelphia. O’Neal played 21 minutes in yesterday’s 99-88 win, giving the Celtics 11 points and five rebounds (along with five fouls), after sitting out four games because of a sore right calf. ‘It’s kind of sore, but I’ll just take it easy and just try to strengthen the area,’ O’Neal said. Even though Semih Erden played seven minutes, he was hampered by a pulled groin, which meant that without O’Neal the Celtics’ options at center would have been slim.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “Glen Davis scored a game-high 18 points (matching the output of Pierce and Robinson) while logging nearly 35 minutes off the bench, but said after the game his back is sore and that he planned to be examined by Lacerte to ensure it’s nothing serious. Davis didn’t think he’d miss any time, but sported a big bandage while sitting on the bench and again in the locker room. ‘I’m not sitting out,’ Davis said. ‘I don’t know what happened. I just woke up this morning and my back was hurting. I’ve got to find out from Ed. They’re going to examine me and make sure I’m OK, but I can play. It’s another bruise, something like a hangnail.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “The Pacers boasted one of the NBA’s bright young big men in Roy Hibbert, and the 7-footer acquitted himself well with 17 points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots. But this was an ornery Shaq on the floor yesterday. ‘I don’t have any impression,’ O’Neal said of Hibbert. ‘(My) only impression of anyone is Blake Griffin (of the Los Angeles Clippers). Other than that, I don’t have anything to say about anybody. Blake Griffin is the truth. All these other guys — I’m not impressed. As a 7-footer, (Hibbert is) putting up double digits. He’s supposed to do that. Show me something different for me to raise my eyebrows.’ The Pacers are more easily impressed. After watching the Celtics build on the NBA’s longest active winning streak, Danny Granger gained a little more perspective on the rest of the league. The Pacers have scored some big wins this season, including road victories over Miami and the Lakers. ‘I think the Celtics are more talented than those other teams across the board,’ Granger said. ‘They probably have 40 years of All-Star Games between them. They’re more talented than those teams. They’re more tied in defensively,’ he said. ‘Even offensively they really know how to play with each other. So I think that’s the best team right now.’”

Jessica Camerato, CSNNE – “[T.J.] Ford has been there to give him support during the learning process. One of his biggest points of emphasis to Bradley is understanding that the hard work he puts in now will pay off in the long run. ‘He usually always texts me after every game and tries to motivate me because he knows that I don’t play that much being on the Celtics,’ said Bradley. ‘He just tells me to learn as much as I can. He always says the same thing, like, ‘I know that you’re not playing that much, just learn as much as you can. You have a great team.’ Everything he says has something to do with that.’”

Mike Wells, Indy Star – “‘They’re so tied in together,’ Pacers forward Danny Granger said of the Celtics. ‘They can be beat, but you have to play a near perfect game. We missed a lot of shots, but we missed a lot of shots because they were in our face. They’re a good defensive team.’ The Pacers attempted a season-high 96 shots and had 16 offensive rebounds, but they couldn’t take advantage of the extra possessions. They shot 35.4 percent from the field, their second-worst shooting game of the season. ‘They’re a great defensive team. They always have been,’ Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said about the Celtics. ‘We missed some quality looks. They really work to get their hands up. Roy (Hibbert) had a lot of 16-footers. I think he made one.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “O’Brien sees no reason why Walker can’t make it back to the NBA despite roughly a two-year absence. ‘It depends on how the scouts evaluate him,’ said O’Brien. ‘If his skill set is still there, if he can still stretch the defense, if he’s in good enough condition, and teams down the stretch are looking for a veteran presence, someone who can play the game, then sure. He can still play the game. I don’t know what his conditioning level is, but I don’t think it’s ever too late — if you’re in shape.’ Asked about Walker, 34, shooting a vintage 6-for-12 from 3-point range, O’Brien laughed and said, ‘It doesn’t surprise me that he took 12. It’s good to know that he made six.’”

Jessica Camerato, CSNNE – “The last time Allen shot 1-for-6 from beyond the arc, he finished with just nine points. Sunday’s performance was the most points he has scored all season when only making one three-point shot. ‘I just had to go to the hole,’ Allen said. ‘I missed a couple shots that seemed like they were right on, but I did sense the urgency to take me off the three-point ball. So when I was coming up, I was just trying to get to the hole because there were gaps there.’ Allen provided one of the highlights of the game with a fastbreak layup that froze Mike Dunleavy in his tracks. While the play was something typical of a speedy point guard, it was part of Allen’s plan of attack. ‘It’s just, I’m not the guy that always has the ball in his hands,’ he said. ‘I’m known for what I’ve been doing while in this role. But my whole career, I’ve had to create opportunities for myself, be a playmaker for other guys on the team, try to get other guys involved. I don’t have to do that as much this year. (Rajon) Rondo is a guy who is the creator here on the team, but we still have to be able to make plays with each other.’”

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.